


L is for...(Teal'c drabbles)

by Lokei



Series: Stargate SG-1 Alphabet Soup Contributions [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alphabet Soup Challenge, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-08
Updated: 2008-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-19 05:02:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/197195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokei/pseuds/Lokei





	L is for...(Teal'c drabbles)

**L is for Loyalty**

The first lesson Teal’c learned about loyalty was that it was owed to his god, as one who cared for his worshippers, who was pleased with the service of his loyal Jaffa.Teal’c’s loyalty carried him to his place as First Prime, but barely lasted beyond his first battle as commander.He could not be loyal to one who squandered lives.

Teal’c’s second lesson in loyalty was that it was expected by one such as Bra’tac.If you had the honor of his tutelage, you accepted praise and rebuke with the same spirit.To do less would dishonor the man who was your teacher.Teal’c’s third lesson in loyalty was that as much as you might wish to offer it to an equal, he would not accept it until it was earned.O’Neill’s fierce defense on Teal’c’s behalf against the NID earned Teal’c’s loyalty long before O’Neill was willing to look at his own reflection and not find himself wanting.

From the rest of SG-1, Teal’c learned what he believes may be the final lesson of loyalty: that in its truest form, it is returned to you far more valuable than in its original offering.It is molten, tested, and purified in the hands of a man who fires an alien weapon to destroy the tool which could save his wife, to save his wife’s kidnapper instead.It is burnished to a shine by the unstinting friendship of a woman whose worldview is entirely other, but whose acceptance and capacity for trust arenear boundless.

Loyalty, in this form, defies odds and authorities, saves worlds and individuals, is never accepted without a return.On SG-1, Teal’c realizes, loyalty works remarkably like love.

= = = =  
 **L is for Lya**

“A man cannot spend so much time on his knees without learning to know himself,” Bra’tac once said, so Teal’c is willing to admit, after many hours of kel’no’reem, that the Nox disturb him.It isnot merely their utter resistance to all violence, a trait which Teal’c as a lifelong warrior finds nearly as unsettling as O’Neill does.Nor is it their attitude towards the ‘youth’ of Teal’c’s companions—for that Teal’c actually holds some sympathy, despite the frustration it causes for someone as enlightened and curious as Daniel Jackson.Some days, indeed, Teal’c thinks perhaps Daniel Jackson is the youngest of them all, but it is a quality he values more than the Nox seem to do.

Mostly, Teal’c believes, his unease with the Nox can be traced to their seeming unconcern with the affairs of the rest of the galaxy.It is clear that in their own ways, they are a strong people.Teal’c cannot approve of those who have the ability to effect change choosing to hide instead.

Lya, however, is different, and though Teal’c cannot hold to the same optimism which fires O’Neill here in this court to decide the fate of Skaara and Klorel, still he is hopeful.Lya has answered them before, in aid of the Tollans.Twice now she has been willing to leave the safety and seclusion of the Nox homeworld to act—and action is needed here.The Tollan will not listen to the truth of the threat, and O’Neill’s hands are bound by his own affection for the boy Skaara and also by his need to save Daniel Jackson’s brother.

Teal’c trusts in action—he will put his trust in Lya as well.

= = = =  
 **L is for Luke Skywalker**

People who bother to think about it at all assume Teal’c likes Star Wars because of the epic struggle, the toppling of a power-hungry, debased, god-like Emperor by a group of rebels.They’re not entirely wrong, but it is too pat an answer.

He loves the characters of the original trilogy—and it is relatively simple to see the members of SG-1 fitting into certain roles.If O’Neill were to admit to knowing the story, he would certainly wish to be Captain Solo, ostensibly for his wise-cracking humor and ‘cool ride,’ but the Captain and the Colonel also share a well-hidden heart.Major Carter could easily be Princess Leia and Daniel Jackson be Luke Skywalker as the pair of young idealists, and Teal’c sees himself as a cross between the experienced guide, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the alien warrior Chewbacca, who observes and understands far more than he speaks.But that too is too easy an answer.

For all that they are as disparate a group on SG-1 as in a galaxy far, far away, whose differences complement and strengthen the whole, Teal’c believes he sees a bit of Luke Skywalker in all of them.Teal’c sees himself in Skywalker’s search for the truth about his father and his role in challenging the power of the Sith.He sees both O’Neill and Daniel Jackson in Skywalker’s family tragedies which propel him on the path to adventure.(Teal’c regrets that he himself is cast as the stormtroopers for the role he played in Daniel Jackson’s tragedy, but unlike Lucas’ creations, he has a chance to atone.)In Skywalker’s search for acceptance, and in his excitement at making a difference in a worthy cause, Teal’c identifies the young Captain Carter as well.Skywalker’s ultimate triumph gives Teal’c hope for them all.

When Daniel Jackson ascends, Teal’c meditates a long time on the meaning of ‘becoming one with the Force.’He watches his team falter, stumble, and rally in cycle.In the good moments, he thinks he sees a familiar half-smile out of the corner of his eye.He watches the trilogy again, and hopes.

  



End file.
